Set On Fire, Shot, What Next?
by SVUCSIWTRDOOLluver
Summary: Based on end of latest epi, "My Name Is Mac Taylor" changed around a bit. It's got bad stuff happening to Stella, sooo R&R! Chapter 4 is up, it is DONE!
1. In A Coma

Story based on latest episode, "My Name Is Mac Taylor" If you haven't watched it and you don't want to spoil the ending by reading this, don't read it, 'cause it might be a little confusing, but if you wait until I post the next chapter, you'll understand it all, hopefully. ENJOY!!!!

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Mac left the interrogation room with a disgusted look on his face. Sometimes he just couldn't believe the indecency in people, to run someone over and peel off, even stop for one second, thinking about going back to help, but then taking off, leaving a young woman to die, and the man who loved that woman going after others in the city, trying to figure out who had killed her. It was just sick, Mac decided, and waited for news from Stella, telling him, hopefully, that they had gotten David. Mac walked back to his office and sat there, thinking about how life can be so short, and that you should spend as much time with the people you care about as you can.

With that thought, he got up and found Danny, Sheldon, Sid, Adam and Lindsey in the break room, with Danny, Sheldon and Adam playing each other on video games while Lindsey and Sid watched. Mac slipped in and was immediately asked to play. He backed off, but then Lindsey shoved the controller in his hand and he had to play one round. He beat the crap out of everyone, including Sid, who had been forced to play as well. Then, Mac's cell rang and he saw that it was Flack, not Stella. He held up one hand to stop the noise and answered.

"Taylor."

"Mac, it's Don. We've got a problem."

"What kind of problem?"

"Don, what happened?" Danny and Sheldon hollered, so Mac strode out after glaring at Danny and Sheldon.

"Don, what kind of problem?" Mac said loudly, trying to get Flack to hear him over the roar of a siren.

"It's David, he covered himself in gasoline and fell on the candles, lighting himself up."

"Oh man, is he okay?"

"Critical condition. But, we do have a big problem, Mac."

"What is it?" Mac asked impatiently, and Flack replied quietly,

"It's Stella, Mac,"

"What? What happened to Stella?" Mac demanded, everything and everyone disappearing around him.

"Before David lit himself up, he was freaking out and crying and all, and he was waving him gun around."

"Oh no."

"Oh yeah. Stella got too close, trying to help him and the gun went off. Twice."

Mac swallowed hard, and said, "Where did the bullets hit?"

"One hit her left shoulder, closest to her heart and the other hit her stomach."

"Is she gonna be okay?" Mac demanded, and Flack shrugged, though Mac couldn't see.

"Well, we lost her three times on the way to the hospital, and now she's in emergency surgery, according to the doctors it's 50/50 right now."

"I'm on my way."

"Mac, wait."

"What? There's more?" Mac demanded, and Flack nodded, again knowing that Mac couldn't see him.

"Yeah, there's more. You know how I told you that the guy was on fire after he shot Stella?"

"Yeah, and?"

"Well, she kinda fell to the ground, and then David kinda fell on top of her."

"So that means…"

"That means that Stella got shot and got caught on fire."

"Oh my God, was she that bad?"

"She was pretty bad, Mac, but not too bad. That's about all I know."

"All right, Don, thanks."

"Let the others know, will ya?"

"Sure."

"Thanks, Mac. She's gonna be okay, you know that right?"

"No, I don't know it. But I'm praying like hell for it to be true."

"Touché. See ya."

"Bye." Mac snapped his phone shut and strode into the break room. As soon as he entered with his white face and his somber expression, the team immediately turned off the game and faced him.

"Mac, what happened? Did they catch David?" Lindsey asked, and Mac nodded.

"They caught him, but he put himself on fire."

"And?" Danny asked, knowing that something else had gone wrong. He just didn't know how wrong.

"Well, apparently he was crying and freaking out. Stella, being a little too caring, got a little too close and…" Lindsey cut him off and said,

"She got caught on fire too?"

"Well, yeah, but…"

"Oh my God, we have to go see her!" Lindsey said, going for her coat but Danny grabbed her arm and pulled her close to him, saying,

"Hang up, Montana, there's something else, right Mac?"

"Right Danny, there's definitely something else."

"Well, what is it?" Sheldon said, and Mac looked at them and said,

"Before David got himself and Stella caught on fire, he was waving a gun around, just trying to get rid of all of his grief. And two shots rang out."

"Oh my God, he shot Stella?" Lindsey demanded, and Danny held onto her tightly.

"Yeah, once in the left shoulder, once in the stomach."

"Oh no." Sheldon and Sid said together.

"What?" The rest of them demanded, and the two doctors looked at each other and Sheldon said,

"That's a fatal combination,"

"98% of the time." Sid added quickly.

"Fatal," Mac repeated, not wanting to believe it.

"Well, what are we waiting for? Shift's over, let's get down there!" Adam said, and they all looked at him, grabbed their coats and followed Mac out. Lindsey jumped in Danny's car, Adam hopped a ride with Mac, and Sid and Sheldon rode together.

When all three cars squealed up, Don was outside waiting for them. He simply told Mac the number, while the other's waited to hear his report on what had happened. Mac didn't care, he simply dashed up the stairs, two or three at a time until he got to Stella's floor, and then he flashed his badge, demanding all the information he could get on Detective Stella Bonasera. The only information he got was that Stella was in critical condition.

It took him about 30 minutes to find out that Stella Bonasera was in a coma, and that it wasn't looking good for her to come out of it anytime soon.

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Not as long as I would've liked, but I hope you liked it!!! Next chapter'll be up soon, and if you're confused on what happened to Stella, don't worry. I'm doing the next chapter starting from Stella's POV, so it'll explain any questions you might have. Shoot me off a review and ask your questions that you want to be answered, if you have any, just so y'all aren't confused. Thanks for reading!!!


	2. Shot And Set On Fire

Chapter 2 is up!!! Enjoy!!! (This is what happened before Don called Mac…)

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Earlier…

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Stella led the way to the tree she and Sheldon had been at earlier, and sure enough, there was the glow of candles. Stella knew that David was there, mourning the loss of his girlfriend, one who had been killed by a Mac Taylor, not her Mac Taylor, but another one, who hadn't even bothered to stop and help. He had taken off, and left David trying vainly to save the life of his girlfriend.

He hadn't succeeded, and therefore was on a manhunt, or rather, car hunt, looking for the right Mac Taylor, whichever one drove the car he had seen run over his girlfriend. Finally, he had seen the car, but hadn't found the right Mac Taylor. So, he was kneeling under the tree, knowing things were coming to an end, and he planned to end them before anyone else could.

"David," Stella said quietly, stepping closer to him. She saw that he had doused himself in gasoline, and hissed over her shoulder,

"Call a bus, he's covered himself in gasoline,"

She then took another step towards him, unmindful of Flack's warning from behind her. She swallowed hard and then said,

"David, please, I need you to take your gun out and lay it carefully on the ground, okay?"

He waited a few moments and then, with his shaking hands, he reached for his gun and pulled it out, looking down on the barrel gleaming in the candlelight. He let his hands float over it, wishing that he had the courage to shoot himself. And Stella knew that.

"David, put the gun down, gently, okay? I don't want to hurt you, but you have to put the gun down."

"He, he ran her over, he ran her over and he didn't even care!" David said, his voice shaking with unshed tears.

"I know, David, we've got him, he's not gonna get away."

"You, you got him?" David said, hope in his voice, looking up to meet Stella's eyes and seeing the truth in them.

"Yes, we've got him, and he's not getting away."

"But that won't bring her back!" David said, getting up and weaving, like a drunk. He still had the gun in his hand, so they didn't jump him, not then.

"No, David, it won't," Stella admitted quietly.

"Have you ever lost someone, and then know that you never had the chance to tell them that you loved them? And then you still do, love them, and can never get them back? Have you?"

"Yes, David, I have, I know a semblance of what you're feeling right now,"

"You do?"

"Yes, I do. I've almost lost many people that I care about; I know what it feels like, the hopelessness, and the pain, the hurt. I know, David, I know."

"Then, then how do you live? How can anyone live with this hurt?" David whispered, tears coming to his eyes and Stella said,

"I just do, David, you just do. It gets easier, as time goes on,"

"But it hasn't!" David shouted, swinging the gun up. Stella shouts,

"David, put the gun down!"

"I can't!" He shouted, and then pulls the trigger twice.

The bullets fly towards Stella, one hitting her in the gut, and the other striking her shoulder. She falls gracefully to the ground, landing on her face, and then David sees what he did. With an agonized shout he falls to his knees and then lowers himself onto the flames, lighting himself up. He gets to his feet, stumbles around and then falls onto Stella, lighting her up too. A moment passes, and then the place turns to chaos. Flack yelled over his shoulder,

"Get me a danged bus NOW!" He rushes to David, shoves him off of Stella and a few officers jump on him, trying to get the flames out. Jessica runs up to him and helps him pat out the flames on Stella's body. Then, Jess begins CPR, while Flack tries to stop her bullet wounds from bleeding.

"Hang in there Stella," Jess mutters, and Flack adds,

"Yeah, otherwise Mac'll kill us." Jess tries to laugh, but it comes out a worried gasp. A bus races up and loads Stella up, while Flack and Jess hop in beside her, Jess gives an involuntary shiver. Flack wraps an arm around her shoulders and pulls her close to him, saying soothingly,

"She'll be okay, Jess, she has to be."

"Are, are you trying to convince me, or yourself?" Jess mutters, and Flack musters a smile while the ambulance races to the hospital.

When it finally pulls up at the hospital, Flack and Jess get out of the doctors ways and go sit in the waiting room. They sit side by side until Jess says,

"You should call them."

"I will, but I'm gonna wait 'til I get an update on her condition, so I have something to give to Mac before he bites my head off."

"Yeah, that's probably a good idea." She said, laying her head on his shoulder. He jolted with shock for a moment, and she said,

"Uncomfortable, Don?"

"Naw, I'm good, you just, startled me, that's all." He said, and laid his head on top of hers. She smiled and said,

"Well, look who's walking towards us."

"The doctor. Dang." Flack said under his breath and reluctantly disentangled himself from Jess. He stood up to meet the doctor who told him that Detective Bonasera was in critical condition, one bullet had almost hit her heart, and the other one had nicked one of her lungs, which was why she was coughing up blood earlier. They weren't sure whether she was going to make it or not.

"Gimme your honest opinion, doc," Flack said, and Jess slipped her hand in his.

"She's hanging on by a thread, Detective, and it's a very thin thread." The doctor said gravely, and walked away. Jess sat him down and pulled out his cell.

"Call Mac. Now." She said simply, shoving it into his hand. He sighed and dialed Mac Taylor's cell, waiting to get hell from him for not stopping Stella from getting that close to David. He put the phone to his hear and waited for Mac to pick up.

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All right, then it goes back to the conversation between Flack and Mac, (HA that rhymes, no pun intended!) and then the team goes to the hospital, and then Mac finds out that Stella's in a coma. And yes, for those who said authors are mean to the characters, I am mean to my characters, but it all works out in the end, unless I'm feeling very angsty, if that's even a word. Well, please review, and I hope I portrayed Jess and Don right, I'm new to that ship, so I'm not exactly sure how to make them act. Let me know if I did good, okay or bad, I'd really appreciate it!! Thanks!!!


	3. Is She Or Isn't She?

Chapter 3 is up!!! ENJOY!!!

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Mac reeled from this information, but managed to pull himself together. He immediately managed to sneak his way into Stella's room and found her hooked up to a bunch of tubes, barely breathing and looking like she was asleep. Mac could see the burns that covered her body, and he bit back a strangled gasp, thinking of all the pain she must've been in. He sat by her, and gently stroked her slightly burnt hair. He looked down on her pale face, and then knew that she was just sleeping.

She was definetly NOT in a coma.

A nurse bustled in, and exclaimed,

"You are not supposed to be in here, sir!"

"I'm a detective, NYPD ma'am." Mac said, reluctantly turning around.

"Oh." She said, clearly unsure of what to do.

"I'm Detective Mac Taylor, Stella in my partner. Could you tell me why I was told she was in a coma?"

"She was, up until about a half hour ago. She woke up, but fell back asleep. No wonder, all those drugs they put in her." The nurse tsked, and bustled up next to Stella and took her vitals and stuff.

"So, is she able to wake up?"

"Yes, I think so, when all these drugs have worn off. Poor girl, those burns are really going to hurt, not to mention those bullet wounds. I was surprised that she actually survived to make it to the operating table. That takes a strong woman."

"Yes, she is a very strong, stubborn woman." Mac murmured, staring at Stella's face. The nurse looked at him for a very long time and then understood his eyes perfectly.

"Detective, might I make a suggestion?"

"Go ahead." He said, dragging his eyes from Stella to the nurse.

"Don't wait until it's too late." She said, looking him straight in the eyes.

"What?"

"Don't wait until it's too late." She repeated, and bustled out. Mac sat there, pondering her words when a voice said,

"Don't think too hard, Mac, you'll give yourself a brain aneurysm. " He whipped around and saw a pair of eyes staring at him. The eyes of Stella Bonasera.

"Stella!" He exclaimed quietly, and gripped her hand with his. She smiled at him and said,

"All right, how bad do I look?"

"All in all, not bad, Stella," Mac said, though he was thinking, _you're beautiful, you always have, you always will, no matter what._

"Thanks Mac." She said, smiling and then the team peeked in. When they saw that Stella was awake they bounded to her bedside and spent the next few hours chatting and having fun. Then Stella looked at the time and said,

"You all have to be to work soon! Get out of here, go home and get some rest, now." The others started to protest, but then the doctor came in and said,

"All right, visiting hours are over. Only two people can stay the rest of you need to get out out out!"

The team looked meekly at the doctor and nodded. After they all said their goodbyes to Stella, they fought each other to see who got to stay, along with Mac, who was a given. Eventually Sheldon won, and Danny led Lindsey out, Don led Jess out and Adam and Sid walked out, discussing a new technique on getting DNA from John and Jane Does to figure out who they were.

When everyone was gone, Sheldon disappeared to get some coffee for him and Mac, giving Mac the time with Stella he desperately needed.

"Stel, are you sure…"

"Mac, I am fine, believe me," Stella interrupted, knowing what he was going to say.

"All right, all right," Mac said, raising his hands in mock surrender. She smiled at him and sighed, saying,

"Is David all right?"

"David?"

"Yeah, David, the one who shot me and set me on fire? Is he all right?"

"Um, he's in intensive care, he might make it, they're not sure." Mac said, trying to refocus his thoughts.

"Oh. I hope he recovers." Stella said worriedly, and Mac looked at her exasperated.

"Stella, that man almost killed you and yet you want him to be okay?"

"Yeah, he's still a human being, Mac," Stella said reprovingly, and Mac muttered under his breath,

"If he lives his life will be a living hell."

"Mac Taylor! What did you just say?" Stella exclaimed, struggling to sit up but wincing in pain.

"No! Don't get up!" Mac said, jumping up and putting a firm hand on her uninjured shoulder to coax her to lie back down.

"Mac, David does deserve to be in jail for what he did to those other people, but he was blind in his grief. No, it's not an excuse, but just because he caused an accident doesn't mean that you should go after him!"

"Stella, he nearly killed you!" Mac pleaded with her, sitting back down and taking her hand. She was shocked by the raw pain and hurt in his eyes, and she was speechless for the moment.

"I just can't live without you, Stel, life is simply meaningless without you." Mac said, and then realized those words were as good as a confession.

"Mac…" Stella said, squeezing his hand. He interrupted her by getting up and striding away, out of the room.

"Mac," She whispered, as she watched him walk away.

--

An hour later, Mac strode back into the hospital after going for a long run, needing to calm himself down before he went back to Stella's room. He walked to her room to see Sheldon walk out of it.

"Mac! Where've you been?" Sheldon asked, striding to meet him.

"A walk." Mac said shortly, trying to get past him but Sheldon still blocked his path.

"Mac, Stella's real worried about you, the nurse even had to give her some medication because she wouldn't calm down." Sheldon said, making Mac stop in his tracks.

"Me? Why?"

"She said you took off outta here like a bat outta hell. She thought she upset you with something that she said."

"It wasn't her, it was me." Mac muttered, and Sheldon said,

"Better go tell her that."

"Thanks Sheldon."

"No problem." Sheldon said as Mac strode into Stella's room.

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Okay, only two more chapters to go or so! I hope you liked this one, it was a little longer than usual, but I had a lot to write, I had a burst of inspiration. THANKS FOR READING AND PLEASE REVIEW!!!


	4. She Wasn't Going Anywhere

Chapter 4 is up!!! I'm so sorry that I didn't update, but every time I tried, my fingers just wouldn't type anything for CSI: New York! Ugh! I hate my muse sometimes, but I have to obey her, otherwise I wouldn't be able to write anything! This is the last chapter, as I've got the best idea for another story in my head. And for those who are reading my story "Deployed" I know I haven't updated that one either, but I'm gonna write a new chapter for that one as soon as I'm done writing this one. Thanks for understanding! ENJOY!!!

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Mac walked in to find Stella sleeping. She was turning her head back and forth, like she was having a bad dream. With a dry swallow, he sat next to her. Her face twisted in pain and she cried out,

"Hot, stop, burning!" Mac jumped, trying to figure out why she felt burning. He quickly realized that it was her dream, and he slipped his arm around her shoulders, putting his hand on her hand and whispering in her ear,

"Stel, it's okay, I'm here, Stel," His voice seemed to soothe her, and she fell into a deep sleep, her fears seeming to slip away. Mac held her tightly, sighing. He hated, absolutely hated to see his partner in pain. Soon, her breathing matching in time to his, and it lulled him to sleep.

Sheldon poked his head in, and saw Stella flipping through a magazine, while Mac had his arm around her shoulder and was sound asleep. Stella looked up at the sound of the door opening, and smiled at Sheldon.

"Hey, Stel. You feeling all right?" He said, slipping in.

"I'm good. Drugs do amazing things to pain. It just seems to disappear." Stella said, grinning. Sheldon grinned back too. Good ol' Stella was back, alive and kicking.

"I'll bet." Sheldon said, pulling a chair up and sitting down.

"How're the other's doing? And the lab?" She said, her eyes lighting up at the thought of the team.

"They're fine. In fact, they're waiting anxiously outside; they wanted to get your permission to come in." Sheldon said, smiling. Stella chuckled and glanced up at Mac. She looked back at Sheldon and said,

"Gimme a minute to wake him up, okay?"

"Sure." He said, and walked out. Stella shrugged her shoulder a bit, and said quietly,

"Mac, hey, Mac!" Mac stirred, and blinked a few times. "My shoulder's going to sleep here, Mac." Stella said, quiet laughter in her voice. Mac immediately sat up, rubbing his eyes and yawning.

"Sorry Stella." He said, and she shrugged.

"The others wanted to come in, they haven't seen me awake yet. I figured you'd rather me wake you up than Danny and Don punching you in the shoulder and yelling at you."

"Yes, thanks for that." Mac said, stretching a bit.

"Sure." She said, and smiled at him. He managed to smile back, and then he blinked once, and concern leaked into his voice as he began to say something. Stella cut him off, saying, "And before you can ask me whether I'm okay or not, I'll just tell you. I am fine, Mac, really!"

"All right." He muttered, a half-smile playing across his face. She knew him so well. He went to the door and when he opened it, Lindsey almost bowled him over and she beelined straight for Stella's side.

"Stella! I couldn't believe it when Danny told me, never mind, are you all right?"

"I hope everyone can hear this, because I'm only saying it once. I. Am. Fine! Got it?"

"Yeah sure, Stel," Danny said, pulling up a chair next to Lindsey.

The next few hours passed with everyone chatting, until Lindsey noticed that Stella was sleeping. She ordered everyone out, and Mac reclaimed his spot next to Stella. And he stayed in that spot for a few months while Stella recuperated in the hospital.

One day, Stella convinced Mac to go home, get some rest and change, that she was perfectly capable of being by herself for a little while. Mac reluctantly agreed, and then when he came back to the hospital, he found Stella's room empty. He was really confused, until he went to the desk and found Stella checking out. He was quiet, waiting until she finished checking out and then when she got to the doors he silently appeared at her side, taking her arm and helping her. She rolled her eyes at him, but he didn't care. He made sure she got in his car, and was completely silent all the way to Stella's apartment. He knew she wouldn't mind, as he was the only man she had ever let into her apartment since Frankie. When she got inside and went to flip the lights on, Mac reached out and stopped her. She looked at him in the dark and couldn't really see him.

"Mac?" She said, thoroughly confused. She felt him stepping up next to her and framing her face with his hands. She felt her back being gently pressed against the wall as he leaned in closer.

"Stella, do you remember what I said, when you woke up?" He breathed, his breath washing over her face like sweet cologne. She swallowed and nodded, saying quietly,

"I remember everything. Might I ask why?"

"Why don't I show you?" Mac said, and pressed his lips to hers. She returned the kiss, sliding her arms around his neck and pulling him closer to her. His hands got buried in her hair, fixing her face to his. Needing the contact, he deepened the kiss and crushed his lips to hers. When they finally broke the kiss, Mac buried his face in her hair, both of them breathing heavily. Mac whispered in her ear, "I just needed to know that you're real, Stel, it all seems like a nightmare to me. It wouldn't be the first time…" His voice was constricted and he couldn't talk anymore.

"It wouldn't be the first time you lost someone you loved, would it?" Stella said softly, stroking his cheek. He nodded, and she drew his head back and put her forehead to his. "I'm alive. I'm here. And I sure as hell ain't going anywhere." Mac managed a smile and Stella pressed her lips to his.

"Be more careful from now on, for me." He pleaded, and she nodded, saying,

"Okay. I'll try." He nodded too, and the next thing Stella knew, she was up in his arms, and he drew her close. She cuddled into his chest and he closed his eyes, sighing. He laid her on her bed and lay down next to her. She cuddled up next to him, and he wrapped his arms around her tightly, never wanting to let go.

And that night he never did.

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The end! I hope I ended it right, and I hope you liked it! I love writing fluff, so I hope there wasn't too much fluff that you choked on it in the end! Thanks for reading, and adios!!!! (PS, does anyone know Adam's last name, and Kendall's last name? I seriously don't know, but I need to know for one of my stories. If you know, could you let me know? Please? Thank you soooo much!!!)


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